Mechanically-operated boat.



K. J SEGK.

MEGHANIGALLY OPERATED BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3,1905.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

f fjdkf 1/ way/712 diak XML W dflawzgd.

" dw w K. J. SEOK.

MEGHANIGALLY OPERATED BOAT. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3,1905.

904, 1 54: Patented Nov. 17,1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1n: Nonms r-rrsns ca.. wunmaron, o. c

KARL JOSEPH SEGK, OF MAINZ, GERMANY.

MECHANIGALLY-OPERATED BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

Application filed November 3, 1905. Serial No. 285,791.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL J OSEPH SnoK, mechanician, residing at Mainz,No. 3 Gymnasium street, in the Grand Duchy of Hesse, Germany, haveinvented new and useful Improvements inMechanically-Operated Boats, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to boats which are propelled by paddles, operatedby a series of mechanism from a common bar or bars actuated by manual ormotor power, and by setting this bar, the course of the boat may bedirected straight ahead, or backward, side- Wise to right or left,around its vertical axis, or around a point in its longitudinal axis,and may be used for pleasure or other purposes.

The advantages of my improved boat over others are, its easy management,the power necessary to propel the boat is reduced to a minimum, that itcan be used without a rudder and that under the most trying conditionsit can not capsize.

My improved boat consists as it may happen of two boats secured togetherby bridge pieces, or of only one boat carrying the propelling mechanism,comprising one or more sets of paddles operated by chainorsprocketwheels from sprocket-wheels at the center of the boat, a diskadjustably fastened to said center wheels,a hand-bar adjustably securedto said disk, and means for controlling the individual paddles to bringand maintain them in the direction, which is at right angles to thestroke.

My invention further consists of improvements hereinafter more fullydescribed and pointed out in the claims.

My invention will be more fully understood taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forming part hereof, and

in which:

Figure 1, is a top view of my improved boat, showing the twin-boatsbridged together, the paddle mechanism, the operating sprocket-wheels,disk and hand-bar, also a rudder with means for operating the same, andanchor With hoisting device. Fig. is a longitudinal section on the line22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a crosssection on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. lis a top-view of the paddle operating mechanism, with the hand bar. Fig.5, is a central section of the operating mechanism shown in Fig. 4. Fig.6, is an elevation of the paddles arranged in pairs, and supported fromthe bridge pieces by means of a stud and a cross-bar. Fig. 7, is atop-view of the paddles, their supporting bar and the mechanism formaintaining the individual paddles in normal actuating position. Fig. 8,is a section showing the mounting of a paddle upon its supporting bar,and Fig. 9, is a section showing the stud and paddle-supporting bar onthe line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Referring now to the drawings for a further description of my invention,a and a are the twin-boats coupled together by means of the distanceorbridge-pieces (Z, the distance at the fore-end between the twin-boats issmaller than at the rear in order to reduce the resistance of the wateracting 011 the sides of the twin-boats, when the boat is beingpropelled. Each of the twin-boats is provided with recesses c, which maybe closed by lids Z), and these recesses are provided with foot restsfor the crew; other arrangements for the seating of the crew and otherpersons may of course be made.

On top of the distance or bridge pieces (Z, is secured a plank c, onwhich all the operating mechanism for the boat is mounted. To propel theboat, paddles f operating only in one direction, are provided, and areactuated and controlled as hereinafter more fully described. Thesepaddles f are mounted at the ends of a paddle-bar g of which one or moremay be arranged and pivoted in the longitudinal axis of the boat in theplank c, in the drawings, four of such bars 9 with two paddles f eachare shown. These paddlebars g are mounted on short shafts 72,, Figs. 6,'7 and 8, in any preferred manner and are oscillated about their centersby chainor sm-ocket-wheels i secured to said shafts b. An oscillatingmotion is imparted to these shafts h from the sprocket-wheels j, 70mounted loosely on the stud Z at the center of the plank e. Mountedloosely on the same stud Z and above the sprocket-wheels y, 70 is a diskwe having a rim 1?, with series of notches 0, for a purpose to bepresently described. Above the disk is further mounted loosely on thestud Z a hand-bar 29 having lugs to engage one of the said series ofnotches 0, and to keep the lugs engaged in said notches, a spring isemployed in a well known manner. Normally the sprocket-wheels j, 70, anddisk m are held together or in operative position by means of aremovable pin Q engaging the distance blocks 7- between the wheels j, isand disk m, and when the hand-bar p is oscillated the two or morepaddle-bars 9 move in unison therewith.

The middle part of the hand-bar is partly cut away, in order to displaythe word indicating the direction in which the boatis to be propelled.In Fig. 4, the hand-bar p is set on Forward, and both paddle-bars withpaddles are operated to propel the boat in that direction. If the disk mwith the sprocket-wheels j, 7:; still coupled together by the pin arerotated 30 degrees and the lugs on the hand-bar engage the notches 0 theslot in the hand-bar displaying To right, then the proportion of thediameter of the chain wheels 2' to that of the chain wheels j, 76, beingas 1 to 3 the paddle-bars g assume the normal direction in line with thelongitudinal axis of the boat, and the latter will be propelled orpushed to the right. A similar result will be obtained but the directionof the boat is changed to left, if the hand-bar p. is set at To leftthat is to say, turned 90 from the Forward position, and the bar 29 maybe set in any notches between those just mentioned, to propel the boatat any angle desired. To propel the boat backward, the paddle-bars g areturned 180 degrees, by turning the disk m and wheels j, 180 degrees. Topropel or swing the boat about its center, or a vertical axis throughthe stud h the coupling-pin q is lifted and the lower wheel is is turnedby means of a lever s engaging the lower-wheels 7c, the pin q engagingthe hole 26 in the wheel 70 this brings the paddle-bars again in linewith the longitudinal axis of the boat, but the paddles work in oppositedirection, as will be more fully described. The boat may be rotatedtoward the right or left in this manner, according to whether the wheelis is turned either toward the right or left. To propel the boat aboutthe center, for instance of the rear paddle-bar g, and with the front ofboat toward the left, the wheel 70 is entirely uncoupled and the wheelwith disk m is coupled to the hand-bar 2) so as to display To left.

At the ends of the paddle-bars g are secured sleeves or journal-boxes t,in which stems u are rotatably mounted, Figs. 7, 8 and 9, the paddles fare provided with hingestraps o and mounted on the trunnions 10 securedto the said stems a. To hold the paddle f in operative or activeposition, the paddle is provided with a slanting offset 00 correspondingwith the beveled lower end of the said stem, Fig. 9, so that the paddlewhen moved against the water, will be in vertical position and whenmoved away from the water, it will float over or with the same.

To keep the paddle when in action in the proper direction or what may becalled the eficient position, that is at 90 degrees'to the direction inwhich the boat is to be propelled,

the short shaft 72. of the paddle-bar g is provided with a cross bar 2and this bar is held by the helical spring .2 normally in line with thelongitudinal axis of the boat.

The stems u are provided with arms 10, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9,extending on opposite sides of a paddle-bar g and the ends of these arms10 are connected to the respective ends of the bar y by means ofconnecting rods 11 so that when the paddle-bars g are oscillated, thepaddles f maintain an eiiicient position in relation to the water, whichis at 90 degrees to the course of the boat.

The cross-bar 3/ is provided with notches 12 and the paddle-bar g withstuds 13 to limit the oscillatory movement of the paddlebar when inrowing action. \Vhen however the paddle-bar g is reversed 180 degreesthe wedge-shaped ends of the studs 13 and the spring a will allow thecross-bar y to pass over the studs 13.

The boat may also be provided with an anchor 1A and if such is employedit may be operated from the handle-bar p and the sprocket wheels 2' and7c, in such case the shaft h is provided with another sprocketwheel 15,driving a wheel 16, ratchet-wheel 17 and winding-drum 18 for theanchorchain, which are all secured to one shaft journaled in the end ofthe plank e. A pawl 19 engaging the ratchet-wheel 17 is pivoted to theplank c and caused to engage with the ratchet-wheel 17 by a spring. Thesprocketwheels 2' and 15 may be coupled together by a pin, when theanchor 1 1 is to be raised, the boat moving in such instance toward theanchor.

Having thus described the nature and ob jects of my invention, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A boat composed of twin-boats coupled together by bridge-pieces, aplank in the center midway between the twin-boats, one or morepaddle-bars rotatably mounted on said plank, a hand-bar pivoted at thecenter of the boats to the said plank, means for connecting saidhand-bar with said paddle-bars, paddles trunnioned to the ends of thepaddle-bars and back-stops for said paddles, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. A boat composed of twin-boats coupled together by bridge-pieces, aplank in the center midway between the twin-boats, one or morepaddle-bars rotatably mounted on said plank, a stud secured in thecenter of the said plank, a sprocket-wheel for each paddle-bar mountedon said stud a notched disk on the stud, a hand-bar also mounted on saidstud and engaging the said notches of the disk, means for coupling thesaid sprocket-wheels to said disk and means for transmitting motion fromthe hand-bars to said paddle-bars, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

8. A boat composed of twin-boats coupled together by bridge-pieces, aplank in the center midwa between the twin-boats, one or more padde-bars rotatably mounted on said plank, a stud provided at the center ofthe boat in the plank, a sprocket-wheel for each paddle-bar mounted onsaid stud, a disk provided With a rimand notches,mounted on said stud, ahand-bar fitting over said stud and adapted to engage certain of saidnotches, a coupling-pin between the sprocket-wheels and the said disk,means to impart motion from the sprocket wheels to the said paddle-bars,a paddle on each end of said paddle-bars, a back-stop for each paddle,and means for maintaining the paddles in operative position While thepaddle-bars are oscillated, substantially as and for the urposes setforth.

4. A boat composed 0F twin-boats coupled together as described, apivoted hand-bar, paddle-bars and paddles, means for operating saidpaddle-bars, in combination with an anchor, means for raising saidanchor and connection between said hand-bar and said means for raisingsaid anchor, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A propelling mechanism for boats, comi prising a paddle-can ing armmounted to turn about a vertica axls, an oscillating member operativelyconnected with said arm, and an operating member normally held to turnwith the oscillating member, but adjustable about the center thereof.

6. A propelling mechanism for boats, comprising a paddle-carrying armmounted to turn about a Vertical axis, an oscillating sprocket wheel, achain connecting said sprocket-wheel with the arm, and an oscillatingoperating member adjustably connected with said sprocket-wheel.

7. A propelling mechanism for boats, comprising an oscillating operatingmember located at the central portion of the boat, two oscillatingmembers adjacent to said operating member, means whereby one or bothoscillating members may be connected with the operating member, andpaddle-carrying bars located in front and in rear of the operatingmember and connected with the respective oscillating members.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

KARL JOSEPH SECK. lVitnesses KARL MERZ, JEAN GRUND.

